The Serra Gaúcha (''Gaucho Highlands'') is a

cultural region In anthropology and geography, a cultural region, cultural sphere, cultural area or culture area refers to a geography with one relatively homogeneous human activity or complex of activities (culture). Such activities are often associated ...

comprising the mountainous areas in the northeastern portion of Rio Grande do Sul state in southern

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Most of its inhabitants are of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

ancestry. Consequently, the cities in the Serra Gaúcha reflect

and

influences through their architecture, gastronomy, and culture. Geographically, it is part of the Serra Geral mountain range. Rota_Romantica_-_Gramado_-_panoramio_(2)

Rota_Romantica_-_Gramado_-_panoramio_(2)

Several tourist routes run through the most picturesque cities of the Serra Gaúcha, particularly the Rota Romântica, following the tracks of German colonization; the Italian-flavored Caminhos da Colônia; the

wine tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...

Rota da Uva e o Vinho; and the Região das Hortênsias, landscaped with beautiful

hydrangea ''Hydrangea'', () commonly named the hortensia, is a genus of over 75 species of flowering plants native to Asia and the Americas. By far the greatest species diversity is in eastern Asia, notably China, Korea, and Japan. Most are shrubs tall, ...

s (''"hortênsias" in

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

''). The hot springs in

Nova Prata Nova Prata is a municipality in the mountainous Serra Gaúcha region of Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil. It is in the Guapore micro-region of the Nordeste Rio-Grandense meso-region of the state. Geography The city of Nova Prata is situate ...

are also one of the region's tourist highlights. The most important cities among the 75 municipalities of the Serra Gaúcha are Caxias do Sul, Bento Gonçalves,

Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, pat ...

, Farroupilha,

Gramado Gramado is a small tourist city, southeast of Caxias do Sul and east of Nova Petrópolis in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, in the Serra Gaúcha region. The city was originally settled by Azorean descendants and later receiv ...

Canela Canela may refer to: Places * Canela, Rio Grande do Sul, a town in Brazil * Canela, Chile, a commune in Chile * La Canela, a legendary location in South America * Isla Canela, an island in Andalusia, Spain Other uses * Canela (surname), in ...

, Veranópolis,

Vacaria Vacaria is a municipality in the northeast of the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is located at a latitude of 28° 30' 44" South and a longitude of 50° 56' 02" west, with an altitude of 971 meters. Its population in 2020 wa ...

, Nova Petrópolis and

Carlos Barbosa Carlos Barbosa is a town in the wine country in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. It is situated at 29º17'51" South and 51º30'13" West, at an altitude of 676 meters. Its population was estimated in 2020 to be 30,241 inhabitants. It has an area o ...

History

The region was settled by European

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...

during the 19th century.

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

started arriving in 1824 and

Italians , flag = , flag_caption = The national flag of Italy , population = , regions = Italy 55,551,000 , region1 = Brazil , pop1 = 25–33 million , ref1 = , region2 ...

in 1875. Germans settled in the lowlands, close to river springs, while Italians populated the highlands. As a result, the region has a unique blend of German and Italian cultures, reflected in the local architecture and cuisine. Several small towns resemble German villages from centuries ago, but on a backdrop of luscious subtropical rainforest and araucarias. Many Brazilians in the region still speak

, mainly the

Riograndenser Hunsrückisch Hunsrik (natively and Portuguese ''Hunsrik'' or ''Hunsrückisch''), also called ''Riograndenser Hunsrückisch'' or ''Katharinensisch'', is a Moselle Franconian language derived primarily from the Hunsrückisch dialect of West Central German. ...

dialect. In the towns settled by Italian immigrants, wine production is considered an important component of the local culture and vineyards can be seen everywhere. The city of Caxias do Sul celebrates the region's wine heritage during the

Festa da Uva Festa da Uva (Festival of the grape) is a celebration of Italian heritage and culture held biennially in Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil. The Festa da Uva is held in February of every even-numbered year. During the Festa da Uv ...

festival. Italian culture is still very strong in the community, and it's not rare to hear locals speaking Northern-Italian

Talian dialect Talian (or Brazilian Venetian, , , but ) is a dialect of the Venetian language, spoken primarily in the Serra Gaúcha region in the northeast of the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. It is also spoken in other parts of Rio Grande do Sul, ...

External links

*
Serra Gaúcha website
* https://web.archive.org/web/20061106131951/http://www.gramado.com/ * http://www.novapratars.com.br * https://web.archive.org/web/20090927190150/http://www.gramado.art.br/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Serra Gaucha Landforms of Rio Grande do Sul Gaucha